Not as minorities, everyone will enjoy equal rights as citizens: Home Minister

He was speaking as the chief guest at the inaugural ceremony of the historic Central Janmashtami procession, organised on the occasion of the ‘Central Janmashtami Festival 1433’, at the Dhakeshwari National Temple premises at Palashi Mor in the capital on Friday afternoon.

The home minister said building a non-communal Bangladesh is the government's goal. Bangladesh should be everyone's first priority, so everyone's primary identity should be Bangladeshi. He also commented that religious, social or ethnic identity comes later.

He said people have rejected the past political idea of treating a particular group of followers of the Sanatan (Hindu) faith as a ‘vote bank’. He also claimed that after the current government assumed responsibility, the religious freedom and the right to observe rituals of people of all religions have been ensured.

Referring to ensuring religious freedom and non-discrimination according to the constitution, the minister said the security and freedom of places of worship and their associated people of all religions have been ensured. The government is working to establish equality and harmony not only in the constitution but also in real life.

The home minister called for practising religious and social harmony, coexistence and peace instead of the term ‘communal harmony’. Later, the Janmashtami procession that started from Palashi Mor ended at Bahadur Park.